Background

On various occasions, the High Commissioner for Human Rights underscored the need for governments to put in place frameworks for the safety of journalists. He also emphasised that to be effective, those frameworks should encompass prevention, protection and prosecution components, in line with the United Nations Plan of Action for the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.

Summary

The present briefer was developed based on a study that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights commissioned to the Geneva Graduate Institute, with a view to identifying good practices in the development of national frameworks for the safety of journalists. The briefer outlines the key principles that should guide the creation of such frameworks (a country specific approach, a strong political support, a human rights-based approach, a participatory approach, a gender-based approach, a strategic approach, a grounded approach, and a sustainable approach). It also details the prevention, protection and prosecution components of effective national protection frameworks.